THE 


SIEGE  OF  CHARLESTON; 

ITS  HISTORY  AND  PROOEESS. 

A  DISCOURSE, 
DELIVERED    IN    BETHEL    CHURCH, 

Charleston,  S.  C  November  1!»,  1868, 

(THANKSGIVING  DAY.) 

BY  KEY.  E.  J.  MEYNAKDIE. 


PUBLISHED    BY    BEQUEST. 


COLUMBIA: 

STEAM  ■'TOWER     l'HKSS     OF     EVANS     i:     COGSffKI.I,  . 
1864. 


Pamphlet  Collection 
OvVe  University  lintm 


THE 


SIEGE  OF  CHARLESTON; 

ITS  HISTORY  AND  PROGRESS. 

A  DISCOURSE, 
DELIVERED    IN    BETHEL    CHURCH, 

Charleston,  S.  C,  November  19,  1863, 

(THANKSGIVING  DAY.) 

BY  REV.  E.  J.  MEYNARDIE. 


PUBLISHED   BY   REQUEST. 


COLUMBIA: 

STEAM-POWER    PRESS     OP    EVANS     *     COGSWELL 

1864. 


PsmpUM  Coupon 


.ir»uc*Sta  lifrtfN 


DISCOURSE. 


"Except  the  Lori^kcep  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain." — rs.  cxxvn.  1. 

The  Tsalmist,  in  this  single  sentence,  alludes  to  the  res- 
toration of  the  walls  and  the  rebuilding  of  the  City  of 
Jerusalem  by  Nehemiah,  in  the  reign  of  Artaxerxes.  The 
bitter  opposition  of  the  Samaritans  under  Sanballat,  To- 
biah,  and  other  leaders  rendered  it  necessary  that  the 
workmen  should  be  armed,  and  prepared  for  an  attack. 
To  prevent  a  surprise^  one -half  the  people  were  always 
under  arms,  while  the  other  half  were  employed  in  the 
work.  Thus  every  place  was  guarded,  a  strict  watch  was 
kept,  and  preparation  made  for  any  sudden  irruption  of 
the  enemies  of  God's  people.  Notwithstanding  all  this,  it 
was  indispensable  that  the  blessing  of  the  Almighty  should 
rest  upon  his  faithful  servant  and  those  who  were  under 
his  control,  and  upon  their  arrangements  for  the  defence 
of  the  threatened  city;  otherwise,  in  vain  would  be  all  their 
efforts.  This  the  Psalmist  acknowledges  when  he  says: 
"Except  the  Lord  keep  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but 
in  vain." 

In  like  manner,  colossal  as  may  be  the  natural  and  arti- 
ficial defences  of  a  city  of  these  Confederate  States  ;  skill- 
ful, vigilant,  and  brave  as  may  be  its  defenders,  when  that 
city  is  environed  by  our  foes,  whose  hatred  and  malignity 
surpass  the  bitterness  of  the  Samaritans  toward  their  an- 
cient rivals,  the  Jews,  and  whose  ingenuity,  strength,  and 
resources  are  superior  to  ours,  it  is  our  imperative  duty, 
involving  our  safety,  that  we,  as  the  people  of  God,  ac- 
knowledging his  hand  in  the  direction  of  this  unparalleled 


revolution,  should,  in  self-abnegation  and  humility,  seek 
for  his  blessing  that,  according  to  his  ancient  word,  as  our 
Judge,  our  Lawgiver,  our  King,  he  will  save  us.* 

During  this  unrighteous  and  sanguinary  war  our  ene- 
mies, invading  our  country,  have  aimed  especially  to  take 
possession  of  our  most  prominent  cities,  affording  them  at 
once  safe  and  comfortable  quarters  for  their  army,  and  rich 
spoils  and  strong  strategic  points.  The  fall  of  a  large  and 
populous  city  not  only  offers  these  advantages,  but  is,  in  a 
moral  point  of  view,  immensely  beneficial  to  the  foe,  and 
detrimental  to  the  country  struggling  for  its  independence. 
It  has  ever  been  regarded  as  a  humiliating  defeat.  Wlioi 
New  Orleans,  therefore,  fell,  the  enemy  gained  an  import- 
ant base  from  which  to  operate  against  the  vast  Mississippi 
valley,  and,  by  the  adoption  of  the  most  unscrupulous  sys- 
tem of  rapine  and  plunder,  he  enriched  himself,  while  he 
gloried  in  his  triumph  and  we  mourned  over  our  disaster. 
So  with  reference  to  Nashville,  which  opened  to  him  the 
extensive  and  fertile  fields  of  East  and  West  Tennessee, 
and  North  Alabama  and  Mississippi.  The  capture  of 
Vicksburg  gave  him  the  fancied  possession  of  the  unob- 
structed Father  of  Waters,  and  the  destruction  pf  Jackson 
prestige  in  his  march  of  devastation.  From  Norfolk  ancT 
Portsmouth  he  would  operate  on  the  Peninsula  against 
Richmond,  believing  that  the  capture  of  the  Confederate 
capital  would  crown  the  Federal  arms  with  complete  vic- 
tory over  the  government  as  well  as  its  army;  and  the 
taking  of  Charleston,  the  "nest  of  the  rebellion,"  would 
seal  the  triumph,  in  the  entire  prostration  and  humiliation 
of  the  Confederacy,  while  the  civilized  world  would  be 
constrained  to  acknowledge  the  superior  strength,  ability, 
and  prowess  which,  in  redeeming  the  pledge  of  the  Aboli- 
tion government,  had  effectually  "crushed  the  rebellion." 

But  the  expectations  of  our  determined  and  boastful 
enemy  have  been  seriously  disappointed.  Richmond  is, 
to-day,  in  less  danger  than  Washington  ;  the  Mississippi  is 

*  Isaiah  xxxii,  22. 


still  blockaded;  in  Tennessee  the  enemy  are  besieged, 
after  having  been  signally  defeated;  so  far  from  his  moving 
on  toward  the  centre  of  the  Gulf  states,  a  part  of  our 
victorious  army  is  on  the  route  to  Nashville,  by  way  of 
Knoxvillc;*  and  Charleston,  like  a  mighty  rock  amid  the 
storm-lashed  billows  of  ocean,  in  her  primitive  strength 
and  grandeur,  looks  calmly  and  defiantly  upon  the  raging 
elements  around  her ! 

We  are  met  to-day,  in  obedience  to  the  call  of  our  mu- 
nicipal authorities,  to  offer  thanks  to  Almighty  God  for 
having  ''mercifully  preserved  our  beloved  and  venerated 
city  From  the  destruction  meditated  against  it  by  a  barbar- 
rous  and  blood-thirsty  foe."  It  would  not  be  amiss,  there- 
fore, to  review  briefly  the  history  of  the  contest  which 
involves  our  homes  and  our  honor,  and  the  remarkable 
deliverance  which  has,  thus  far,  been  graciously  vouchsafed 
us. 

It  will  not,  we  trust,  be  construed  into  a  derogation  from 
the  just  claims  of  the  successive  commanding  officers  of 
this  department  to  remark,  that  the  record  of  our  preser- 
vation will  ever  be  esteemed  as  a  brilliant  illustration  of 
Divine  Providence  interposing  in  our' behalf,  rather  than  an 
exemplification  of  the  superior  foresight  and  skill  of  our 
generals. 

When  Tort  Royal  fell,  the  first  year  of  the  war,  this  city 
was  literally  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  Sumter,  it  is 
true — cold,  calm,  and  defiant — stood  at  the  entrance  of  the 
harbor,  but  armed  with  few  guns,  of  small  calibre,  and 
having  at  command  a  very  limited  supply  of  ammunition, 
while  the  adjacent  defences  were  scarcely  worth  mention- 
ing ;  and  as  wooden  vessels  succeeded  in  passing  the  forts 
which  defended  New  Orleans,  so  might  the  same  class  ot 


*  Since  the  delivery  of  this  discourse  important  changes  have  occurred  in  the 
western  campaign.  In  Tennessee,  after  having  been  defeated  and  besieged  at 
Chattanooga,  and  subsequently  gaining  a  partial  victory  over  our  forces — the  result 
of  unforeseen  mishap? — the  enemy,  so  far  from  pressing  on,  has  had  his  advanced 
guard  driven  back  with  great  slaughter;  and,  with  continued  accessions  and  un- 
abated resolution,  our  heroic  army  will  yet  more  than  retrieve  its  fortunes. 


armed  vessels  have  approached  the  city,  and  humbled  her  in 
the  dust.     When  General  Lee  appeared  as  commandant  of 

this  post  he  found  the  defences  in  a  deplorably  deficient 
condition  ;  and  ere  he  was  called  away  his  engineering  skill 
and  industry  had  not,  by  any  means,  supplied  the  demand. 
The  work  of  General  Pemberton  was  the  erection  of  a  few 
batteries  eligibly  located,  but  with  a  slowness  which  did  not 
semi  to  anticipate  immediate  danger;  and  the  dismantling 
of  an  island  which  opened  the  way  to  the  one  that  has  since, 
unfortunately,  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  from 
which  he  is  now  actually  shelling  the  city.  So  precarious 
was  our  condition  during  the  administration  of  this  general 
that,  on  one  occasion,  when  a  prisoner  informed  him  of  the 
landing  of  a  large  force  on  James  island,  he  hurriedly  or- 
dered the  removal  of  the  archives  of  the  post-office,  and  the 
few  ill-fated  vessels  which  were  at  the  wharves  to  be 
anchored  in  the  stream  ready  for  sinking.  Then  it  was 
that  our  danger  was  imminent.  But  the  providence  of 
God  restrained  the  enemy  from  the  meditated  attack.* 
When  he  did  land  troops  on  James  island,  the  vastly  supe- 
rior numbers  attacking,  and  the  half-completed  and  weak 
condition  of  the  battery  at  Secessiouville,  would  have 
secured  to  him  a  foothold  and  the  command  of  the  city, 
but  for  the  unprecedented  heroism  of  our  noble  defenders 
who,  like  the  devoted  Spartan  band  in  the  Pass  of  Ther- 
mopylae, maintained  their  ground,  and  to  whom  God  gave 
the  victory,  after  an  incessant  bombardment  of  several 
days,  and  a  most  determined  assault  upon  their  works. 
Thus  the  city  was  kept. 

We  pause,  to  bedew  with  a  tear  of  affectionate  remem- 
brance the  sacred  ashes  of  the  martyrs  of  liberty  who  fell 
in  that  fierce  conflict.  "Poetry  in  matchless  strains  will 
recite  their  deeds,  and  history  grave  them  with  her  stylus 
on  the  tablets  of  immortality." 

*  It  is  alleged,  by  the  friends  of  General  Pemberton,  that  ho  was  compelled  to 
choose  between  the  alternative  of  abandoning  Coles  island  or  giving  up  James 
island  to  the  enemy;  that  the  force  and  materials  furnished  him  were  inadequate 
to  the  defence  of  both,  and  the  less  evil  would  certainly  be  the  fall  of  Morris  island, 
the  remote  result  of  a  transfer  of  his  means  of  defence  to  James  island 


When  the  present  commanding  officer,  who  fought  the 
first  battle  of  the  war  on  the  threshold  of  our  city,  and 
added  to  his  laurels  on  the  memorable  plains  of  Manassas 
and  Shiloh,  succeeded  General  Pemberton,  he  had  before 
him  the  stupendous  task  of  erecting  new  fortifications,  pull- 
ing down  and  remodelling  others,  and  replacing  light  gam 
with  heavier;  and  at  that  time  he  would  not  have  pledged 
himself  for  anything  like  a  successful  defence  of  the  city, 
had  the  enemy  appeared  in  his  wooden  fleet.     Meanwhile, 
enormous  amounts  of  money  and  labor  were  expended  by 
the  Lincoln   government  in   building   and   arming   iron- 
plated  vessels,  for  the  specific  purpose  of  reducing  our 
forts  and  humbling  our  city.     The  turretted  Monitorswere 
completed,  and  soon  floated  in  our  waters.     But  months 
were  allowed  to  pass  before  they  adventured  their  bold  ex- 
pedition, in  consequence,  mainly,  of  the  divided  counsels  of 
the  chief  officers  at  Port  Royal ;    and  during  this  interval 
our  works  progressed,  but  were  incomplete  when,  on  the 
memorable  seventh  of  April,  the  Ironsides  and  Monitors 
attacked  the  harbor  defences.     For  two  hours  and  a  half 
their  two  hundred-pounder  and  fifteen-inch  guns,  at  close 
range,  poured  upon  Fort  Sumter  their  incessant  iron  rain, 
when  the  broad  shield  of  the  Almighty  covered  the  fort 
and  its  garrison,  and  a  bolt,  well  aimed,  under  Divine  Provi- 
dence, pierced  the  Keokuk,  and  sent  her  to  the  bottom, 
while  her  associates  retired,  damaged  and  defeated.     Thus 
the  city-  was  again  saved. 

Months  elapsed.  Our  apprehensions  of  another  attack 
were  dispelled.  The  respite,  even  in  the  judgment  of  the 
officers  of  superior  authority,  was  lengthened,  in  anticipa- 
tion, beyond  what  we  were  really  permitted  to  enjoy,  when, 
in  the  month  of  July,  the  attack  was  made  upon  Morris 
island  at  a  point  which  was  scarcely  susceptible  of  de- 
fence, because  only  partially  fortified  and  manned.  The 
grand  iron  armada,  looked  for  by  General  Beauregard  in 
the  ensuing  October,  had  already  opened  its  thunders;  and 
the  ingenuity,  perseverance,  and  boldness  of  the  quiet  and 
unsuspected  forces  on  Folly  island  had  acquired  a  foothold 


8 

oo  Morris  island,  .when  Battery  Wagner  gave  assurance 
that  she  would  prolong  the  struggle  —  receiving  into  her 
uncomplaining  bosom  the  unmitigated  storm  of  shot  and 
i  from  land  batteries  speedily  erected  on  the  part  of 
til'.-  island  held  by  the  enemy,  and  from  his  licet,  until 
batteries  completed  on  Sullivan's  island,  Fort  Moultrie 
sngthened,  Fort  Johnson  assuming  more  formidable 
proportions,  and  Haskell.  Simkins,  Cheves,  and  others 
rising  from  the  dust,  could  dispute  the  passage  of  the 
enemy  toward  his  coveted  prize. 

Why  did  not  the  enemy,  the  morning  he  captured  Mitch- 
el's  battery,  push  on  to  Wagner?  Could  he  not  have 
taken  that  fort  by  a  covp-de-mainl  What,  then,  would  have 
been  the  consequences?  Why  was  not  Battery  Wagner 
captured  in  the  night  assault,  after  a  day  of  terrific  bom- 
bardment? What  saved  Battery  Gregg  from  a  surprise, 
when  the  enemy  attempted  to  flank  it  in  barges?  What 
saved  our  forces  when  his  saps  had  literally  reached  our 
works,  and  in  the  evacuation  of  the  island  they  were 
obliged  to  run  the  gauntlet  of  uumerous  armed  boats? 

Turn,  if  you  please,  to  subsequent  events.  The  precious 
time  during  which  Battery  Wagner  was  held  by  us  was  de- 
voted to  the  completion  of  those  works  which  rendered  the 
progress  of  the  enemy,  in  his  herculean  labors  on  Morris  isl- 
and, and  the  mounting  of  his  heavy  guns,  both  slow  and  dis- 
astrous, while  we  could  avail  ourselves  of  every  moment  and 
every  means  to  prepare  for  his  advance  when  Sumter  should 
no  longer  speak  through  her  iron-throated  sentinels.  God 
gave  us  the  time !  Consequently,  in  the  reconnoissances 
which  have  been  made  by  the  euemy's  armored  vessels,  and 
the  attempts  to  remove  the  obstructions,  and  lay  his  ruth- 
less  grasp  upon  the  object  at  once  of  his  intense  hate  and 
desire,  he  has  been  assailed  from  so  many  quarters,  and 
with  so  tremendous  a  power,  as  to  be  compelled  to  occupy 
his  distant  ground.  Who  of  the  anxious  spectators  will 
foijget  the  scenes  of  that  wonderful  drama  which  has  since 
been  enacted  in  the  harbor?  Day  has  been  robbed  of  its 
sunshine  by  ascending  clouds  of  smoke  —  night  of  its  tran- 


9 

quillity  and  peace  by  the  detonating  thunders,  while  the  dis- 
tant horizon  has  blazed  with  the  fires  of  artillery  piercing 
the  gloom  like  sheet-lightning  ! 

What  shall  I  say  of  Fort  Sumter  ?  What  of  the  life  and 
charm  of  its  consecrated  ruins?  The  child  of  Providence  ! 
still  lifting  her  shattered  form  in  the  deadly  breach,  and 
trusting  in  the  arm  of  Omnipotent  power  to  sustain  and 
make  her  invincible  in  her  inner  life  aud  peerless  patriot- 
ism! When  pillowed  on  our  couches  for  slumber,  and 
reposing,  as  we  now*  can  do,  amid  the  tumult  of  roaring 
cannon  and  bursting  shells,  Carolina's  faithful  soldier*  and 
his  undaunted  comrades  are  keeping  their  vigife,  and  mark- 
ing the  events  of  Providence  as  they  occur  around  them, 
augmenting  their  peril  and  enlarging  their  patriotic  senti- 
ments, to  transfer  them  to  that  golden  page  in  the  history 
of  this  war,  which  will  be  headed,  "The  Siege  of  Charles- 
ton !" 

It  has  been  said  that,  when  this  struggle  is  ended,  should 
our  city  be  delivered,  a  marble  shaft  ought  to  be  reared 
"on  its  beautiful  battery,"  with  an  inscription  noting  its 
memorable  siege,  concluding  with  the  words,  "Saved  by 
Prayer."f  It  is  a  most  happy  thought,  and  we  commend 
it  to  the  consideration  of  our  citizens.  But  when  we,  ffiy 
brethren, .  shall  have  passed  beyond  the  veil  of  outward 
things,  and  our  children  are  enjoying  the  blood -bought 
legacy  of  freedom  bequeathed  to  them,  our  latest  posterity 
will  point  to  the  site  of  yonder  noble  fortress,  now  grand 
and  unconquerable  in  her  battlemented  ruins,  as  the  endur- 
ing monument  of  the  special  providence  which  saved 
Charleston,  as  it  had  done  nearly  a  century  before,  through 
the  invincibility  of  the  palmetto  fort,  when  Jasper  planted 
the  colors  on  the  fire-crested  rampart ! 

The  enemy  have  boasted  that,  from  their  position  in  our 
harbor,  they  had  the  city  at  their  mercy.  The  heaviest 
guns  known  in  modern  warfare,  charged  with  a  stygian 


*  Major  Stephen  Elliott. 

t  Suggested  by  Rev.  E.  H.  Myers,  D.D.,  of  Augusta,  Ga. 


10 

composition  invented  in  the  laboratory  of  fiendish  hearts, 
called  Greek  Fire,  have  been  aimed  at  our  homes  and  our 
sanctuaries;  bat  with  what  effect  ?  Were  not  the  most 
elaborate  and  encouraging  calculations  made  with  reference 
to  the  success  of  the  undertaking?  Have  not  the  projectiles 
been  hurled?  Yes;  but  against  the  impenetrable  «gis  of 
the  Lord  of  hosts,  and  thus,  so  far,  our  "pleasant  things  " 
have  not  been  laid  waste. 

It  were  superfluous  to  remark  that  these  results  are  not 
attributable  solely  to  the  skill  and  vigilance  of  our  officers, 
notwithstanding  that  some  of  them  may  prefer  to  fight 
their  battles  without  Divine  aid.  We  do  not  ignore  the 
maxim  of  the  blessed  Teacher:  "Render  unto  Caesar  the 
things  which  are  Caesar's."  To  those  who  are  invested 
with  military  authority  be  given  'all  honor  for  the  amount 
of  patriotism,  and  zeal  which  they  have  exhibited  in  this 
unexampled  contest;  but  do  not  the  facts  of  the  case 
el  early  show  that  they  have  not  been  our  deliverers  ? 
"The  powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God."  At  all  events. 
we  are  called  upon  to  recognize  and  "honor  authority  as 
authority  from  God;"  and  when  that  authority  is  vested 
in  one  whose  genius  and  patriotism  have  elevated  him  to  a 
position  at  once  involving  the  most  fearful  responsibilities 
and  commanding  the  most  ardent  admiration  of  his  coun- 
trymen, we  rejoice  to  honor  it  as  from  God.  Vet  this 
siege  has  been  of  so  peculiar  a  nature,  demonstrating  the 
weakness  of  man,  and  the  power  and  goodness  of  God, 
that  every  individual,  saint  and  sinner,  with  but  few  if  any 
exceptions,  is  disposed  to  ascribe  our  safety  thus  far  alone 
to  Him  who  "doeth  according  to  his  will  in  the  army  of 
heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth." 

Were  we  inclined  to  venture  remarks  that  might  be  con- 
strued into  personalities,  much  could  be  said  with  regard 
to  the  jeopardy  in  which  our  dearest  interests  have  been 
involved  by  the  neglect  of  those  who,  though  the  ap- 
pointed watchmen  to  keep  the  city,  permitted  themselves 
to  be  carried  away  by  the  current  of  speculation,  and  by  In- 
curring the  just  displeasure  of  God  as  shameless  transgress- 


11 

ors  of  his  holy  law,  and  blasphemers  of  his  hallowed  name. 
The  record  of  drunkenness,  gambling,  Sabbath-breaking, 

and  profanity  might  have  been,  to  an  alarming  extent,  the 
record  of  our  ruin.  And  the  secret  reprobation  of  the 
strictly  moral  and  religious  portion  of  the  community 
might  be  declared  in  open  day  of  a  hoary  practice  which 
at  once  puts  at  defiance  the  regulations  of  the  army,  the 
laws  of  civil  society,  and  of  God,  when  the  sacred  name  of 
honor  is  prostituted  by  its  devotees  in  "a  worship  as  impi- 
ous and  profane,  as  irrational  and  senseless,  as  barbarous 
and  bloody  as  were  the  idolatrous  rites  of  the  ancient 
Moloch."* 

It  has  been  affirmed  that  the  Almighty,  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  his  government  on  earth,  when  lie  Bees  proper  to 
rend  nationalities,  to  put  down  one  and  set  up  another. 
does  not  allow  himself  to  be  influenced  by  the  actions  of 
men,  nor  his  purposes  to  be  thwarted  by  their  sins  against 
himself.  This  is  a  dangerous  opinion,  and,  when  viewed  in 
the  light  of  Revelation,  will  scarcely  stand.  In  the  appli- 
cation of  it  to  a  nation  struggling  for  independence,  not  as 
a  heathen,  but  Christian  people,  it  will  be  readily  perceived 
how  futile  it  becomes:  and  especially  so  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  the  events  of  providence  are  ordained  for  the 
promotion  of  God's  glory.  Any  departure,  therefore,  from 
his  law  may  call  for  the  vindication  of  his  own  righteous 
character  and  inflexible  justice  in  the  punishment  of  those 
who  are  false  to  their  religious  professions.  Thus  his 
ancient  and  most  highly  favored  people  would  have  been 
utterly  destroyed,  notwithstanding  the  promise  of  their 
national  existence  and  prosperity,  but  for  the  interposition 
of  the  faithful  prophet;  and,  indeed,  having  been  subse- 
quently scourged  by  the  gentile  nations,  because  forsaken  of 
him  whom  they  persisted  in  dishonoring,  they  were  finally 
bereft  of  their  government  and  dispersed.  .  Even  the  trans- 
gressions of  their  rulers  brought  upon  the  people  the  dis- 
pleasure of  God,  as  in  the  case  of  David,  whose  presumptu- 


*n</e  Dr.  Dana's  admirable  Discourse  on  "The  Sense  of  Honor,"  l^ir. 


12 

ous  sili  involved  liis  subjects  in  a  pestilence  which  resulted 
in  the  death  of  Beventy  thousand  from  Dan  to  Beersheba. 
When,  in  consequence  of  the  transgression  of  Rehoboam, 
the  King  of  Egypt  came  ap  against  Jerusalem,  the  prophet 

of  the  Lord  said  to  the  guilty  ruler  and  the  princes  of 
Judab,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  ye  have  forsaken  me,  and 

therefore  have  I  also  left  you  in  the  hand  of  Shishak." 
But  having  humbled  themselves  before  the  Lord,  and  con- 

ffled  their  sins,  they  were  spared  the  destruction,  and  his 
wrath  was  not  poured  out,  as  threatened,  upon  Jerusalem. 
These. facts  may  be  more  fully  understood  when  presented 
in  the  light  of  a  simple  argument  furnished  by  Bishop 
Pierce:* 

"Nations  have  a  sort  of  collective  unity,  and  between 
rulers  and  people  there  is  a  reciprocal  responsibility;  and 
if  there  be  connivance  in  evil,  each  is  amenable  for  the 
guilt  of  the  other.  *  *  *  *  In  the  Divine  administra- 
tion, rulers  are  contemplated  as  the  head  and  representatives 
of  the  people,  even  in  hereditary  governments,  and  it  may 
be  eminently  so  in  an  elective  one.  It  is  to  be  remembered, 
therefore,  that  the  people  must  share  in  the  judgments 
which  the  sins  of  rulers  provoke.  When  these  proud 
trangressors  challenge  the  Divine  Being  by  their  reckless 
impiety,  the  retribution  is  often  sudden  and  overwhelming, 
as  when  He  smote  Herod  with  worms;  or  a  gradual  blight,  a 
living  death,  as  in  the  days  of  Jeroboam,  the  son  of  Nebat, 
who  made  Israel  to  sin." 

As  a  community,  have  we  not,  like  our  impious  leaders-, 
sinned  against  God?  The  signal  repulse  of  the  enemy  on 
the  seventh  of  April  inspired  us  with  confidence  in  our 
ability  to  drive  back  the  invader  whenever  he  should  again 
attempt  to  reach  the  city.  Fort  Sumter  became  the  cyno- 
sure of  all  eyes;  but  God  has  shown  us,  in  the  reduction 
of  that  fort,  that  there  our  strength  did  not  lay.  Kami- 
lies  that  had  sought  refuge  in  the  interior  returned. 
Charleston   began  to  resume  her  former  cheerful   aspect. 

*  Sermon  preached  before  tbe  Bible  Convention  in  1862. 


13 

The  spirit'  of  aviyrice  became  rife.  Blockade -running  ab- 
sorbed the  attention  of  the  most  sober  and  pious  citizens. 
Stocks  went  up,  and  were  eagerly  sought  after.  Specula-' 
tion  amassed  money  by  the  thousands,  which  was  invested 
in  every  species  of  property.  The  Church,  social  duties, 
the  war  itself,  and  every  sacred  and  vital  interest,  for  the 
time  being,  was  ignored,  while  the  cry  waxed  louder, 
"More!  more!"  And  thus  the  infatuation  continued 
until  the  metallic  voice  of  the  auctioneer  at  the  Exchange 
was  suddenly  drowned  in  the  booming  of  hostile  cannon? 
announcing  that  the  enemy  had  entered  our  ver}T  gates ! 

In  addition  to  this,  the  troubles  of  the  times  were  sought 
to  be  dissipated  in  the  dance  and  midnight  revelry:  and 
many,  who  had  bowed  with  Christian  purity,  humility,  and 
reverence  at  our  holy  altars,  sought,  in  their  misguided 
folly,  relief  from  care,  anxiety,  and  vexation  of  spirit  at 
the  shrine  of  giddy  pleasure. 

In  every  large  city,  so  mixed  is  the  population — it  mat- 
ters not  what  may  be  the  moral  and  religious  character 
of  the  community — which  is  always  established  by  the 
better  classes — there  are  to  be  found  those  who  go  beyond 
the  prescribed  limits  of  virtuous  and  innocent  pleasure  in 
seeking  enjoyment,  and  who  will  gratify  their  passions  in 
vice  and  crime.  And  although,  thank  God,  the  debasing 
"isms"  which  have  blighted  Northern  society  with  an 
everlasting  curse  do  not  take  root  in  our  soil,  yet  crimes 
have  been,  and  are  still  committed  among  us,  with  an 
effrontery  which  has  its  only  security  in  the  astounding 
toleration  of  society — crimes  which  so  degrade  humanity, 
infringe  divine  and  human  law,  and  strike  at  the  very  basis 
of  social  order  and  purity,  as  to  make  the  cheeks  of  mid- 
night blush  !  Hence,  we  may  understand  why  Charleston 
lias  been  spoken  of  as  rotten  to  the  core.  Are  these  accu- 
sations true  or  false  ?  They  arise  to  heaven  for  adjudica- 
tion in  the  highest  of  all  courts.  If  true,  the  inevitable 
consequence  will  be,  that  judgment  which  no  mortal  arm 
can  arrest  will  descend  to  earth,  aud  condigli  punishment 
summarily  inflicted,  in  vindication  of   the  character  and 


14 

government  of  Him  to  whom  belongs  all  power  in  heaven 
and  on  earth.  While  these  deplorable  facts  stare  us  in  the 
face,  and  call  for  the  deepest  humiliation  to-day,  we  still 
find  ourselves  spared  the  overthrow  which  our  sins  might 

have  visited  most  fearfully  upon  us.  And  why  are  we 
spared?  Because,  chiefly,  there  are  "a  few  names  in  Bar- 
dis  that  have  not  defiled  their  -garments."  The  riirhteous- 
ness  of  our  cause  we  have  never  questioned.  The  defence 
of  our  imperilled  rights  was  entered  upon  with  fervent  ap- 
peals to  God;  and  there  is,  pervading- the  country  and  the 
army,  a  religious  element  which  preserves  our  Christian 
character  to  such  an  extent  as  to  secure  the  Divine  favor. 
We  have  pious  rulers,  generals,  and  soldiery.  Families 
throughout  the  wide  extent  of  our  land  have  not  forsaken 
their  home-altars,  nor  ceased  to  lift  their  hearts,  many  of 
them  burdened  with  inexpressible  grief,  in  the  sanctuary  of 
the  Most  High;  and  here  are  to  be  found  those  who,  day 
and  night,  spread  their  hands  before  the  mercy- seat  and 
plead  for  our  beloved  city. 

Millions  of  prayers  have  gone  to  heaven  in  behalf  of 
this  cherished  metropolis,  and  the  living  record  of  those 
prayers  will  appeal,  in  potent  accents,  to  Him  who  has 
promised  to  hear  and  answer  prayer.  In  your  Union 
Prayer  Meeting — the  great  institution  of  modern  Christian- 
ity, which  seems  to  cherish  a  spark  of  the  oft- described 
glories  of  the  millennium  —  Christians  of  all  denominations 
have  been  assembling  statedly,  since  the  inception  of  the 
war;  and  since  the  city  has  been  threatened,  true  and 
faithful  hearts  have  there  poured  forth  those  petitions 
which  the  lips  could  not,  unaided,  have  framed,  until  the 
spirits  of  God's  people  have  been  revived,  while  Faith, 
in  her  own  confident  language,  could  say,  "It  shall  be 
done!"  and  Hope,  her  twin-sister,  could  whisper,  "All  will 
be  well!" 

And,  my  brethren,  ingenious  and  indomitable,  powerful 
and  unscrupulous  as  may  be  our  implacable  enemies, 
relying,  as  they  do,  upon  the  strength  of  their  ships,  the 
eligibility  of  their  land   batteries,  the    superior  metal  of 


15 

their  guns — entertaining  as  they  may  the  belief  of  our 
inferiority  in  these  respects  —  burning  with  the  unholy  de- 
sire to  lay  waste  our  homes,  raze  our  sanctuaries  and  insti- 
tutions of  charity,  prostrate  in  the  dust  our  poor  for  whom 
we  care,  and  murder  our  old  men,  our  mothers,  our  wives, 
and  children — still  Charleston  I  firmly  believe — and  I  pray 
that  I  may  not  be  disappointed  — will  have  it  in  her  power, 
when  the  storms  which  are  now  pitilessly  beating  upon  her 
are  over,  to  trace  upon  the  door-posts  and  lintels  of  every 
house  within  her  corporate  limits,  in  burning  capitals,  the 
words  of  gratitude  and  praise,  "Saved  by  Prayer,"  which 
will  flash  in  the  unobscured  sunlight  of  heaven  during  the 
prosperous  years  to  come!     When, 


No  more  the  drum 


Provokes  to  arms,  or  trumpet's  clangor  shrill 
Affrights  the  wives,  or  chills  the  virgin's  blood ; 
But  joy  and  pleasure  open  to  the  view 
Uninterrupted !" 


